Lowry, Lois. Windeby Puzzle, The: History and Story. Jonathan Stroh, Illus. Clarion, 02/2023. 186pp. Fiction. GRADES 5 – 8. $16.99. 978-0-35-867250-0. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
The bulk of this unusual novel is made up of two short stories, inspired by the remains of a two thousand-year-old body found in a peat bog in Germany in 1952. The first story focuses on Estrild, a twelve-year-old girl who wants to be a warrior, and not assume the usual role of wife and mother for a female in her society. The other short story features a boy named Varick who is about the same age, born disabled, and how he tries to be of use despite his physical limitations. The two stories are framed with brief introductions to the facts about the fossilized remains, but this means readers will know ahead of time that they are both doomed to death by age twelve. The author imagines a life for each, based on factual information about the society at that time and place, which will hold the attention of readers. The informational sections explain that at first scientists believed the body was a female, later determining it was a male, but such explanations cast a pall over the stories since we already know the fates of the characters.
Penny Peck—San Jose State University iSchool